During these days of sheltering in place, Chicagoans are seriously amping up their culinary games—and we're helping out with recipes from some of the city's top toques. Here, a favorite from Executive Chef/Partner for One Off Hospitality Paul Kahan's book Cooking For Good Times.
Torn And Toasted Bread With Panzanella Vinaigrette
"We figured out pretty quickly that one of the best ways to use our slightly stale bread was to tear it up (instead of cutting it into cubes) so you get these little craggy bits that sop up the dressing; toast it in plenty of olive oil, butter, and salt; douse it with more olive oil or vinaigrette; and toss it with a few simple ingredients to make salads that go with pretty much everything else in the book." —Paul Kahan
Makes 4 cups toasted bread and ½ cup vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 loaf day-old good bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Red Wine Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1⁄2 teaspoon honey
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
or
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1⁄2 teaspoon honey
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
Choose Your Bread
(1) Sourdough’s the way to go, or ciabatta, which is a bit lighter and full of air and also a great sponge. That’s not to say that a great whole-grain bread wouldn’t be delicious, but those are my first choices. And your loaf of white bread is out. Sorry. Basically, the better the bread, the better the panzanella—obvious stuff. And it’s not the end of the world if you buy a loaf of bread for this recipe instead of using up whatever’s left over. Just slice it up thick and leave it out on a baking sheet overnight to dry out or gently toast it.
Tear
(2) Tear off the crust and set it aside. Tear the inside (the crumb) into approximately 1-inch pieces. They should be rough and shaggy—ready to be doused in lots of olive oil and butter. Then tear up the crust into roughly 1-inch pieces. Repeat until you have 4 packed cups of bread. You could also just get in there and tear up the loaf with your hands instead of slicing it first, but it ends up being more work that way since you have to go back in and break it down into smaller pieces.
Toast
Preheat the oven to 350°F. (3) In a small saucepan, combine the bread, butter, oil, garlic, herbes de Provence or thyme, and salt. Place over medium-low heat until the butter has melted, stirring to mix well. (4) Spoon the butter-oil mixture over the torn bread. (5) Squeeze the bread as you toss it with the oil and butter so that it soaks it all up. Spread the mixture over a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Toast for 10 minutes. Give the pan a good shake and continue toasting until GBD (golden-brown-delicious), another 8 to 10 minutes. (6) The bread should be crispy but not dried out and rock hard.
Make a Vinaigrette
If you’re going with the red wine vinaigrette, combine the red wine vinegar, oil, garlic, honey, and salt in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine. Set aside until ready to use or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you’re in an apple cider vinaigrette mood, combine the apple cider vinegar, oil, shallot, mustard, thyme, honey, and salt in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine. Set aside until ready to use or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Put It Together
In a large bowl, toss the bread bits with about half of the vinaigrette and let them sit for a minute or two to soften slightly. Next, dump in your add-ins—Brussels sprouts, hearty greens, or Niçoise-style with tomatoes, green beans, olives and anchovies—taste, and adjust.
Photography by: Peden + Munk
